The new animated show from New York Times best-selling illustrator and author Zachariah Ohora features warm-hearted autistic raccoon Carl, who loves collecting things; coming in Fall 2024.
PBS KIDS announced its first show featuring a lead character on the autism spectrum, a new animated series, Carl the Collector, targeting kids ages four to eight. The show, created by New York Times best-selling illustrator and author Zachariah OHora (“My Cousin Momo!”), is produced by Fuzzytown Productions and Spiffy Pictures. Through its stories, the show celebrates diverse ways kids think and express themselves while helping develop a strong sense of self and community. Carl The Collector premieres Fall 2024.
“Carl The Collector values inclusion and empathy while modeling relationship-building and social skill development, wrapped up in humor, heart, and incredible visual design,” said PBS KIDS senior vice president and general manager Sara DeWitt. “We are excited for children to get to know Carl and his group of friends, who believe that the best experiences occur when we honor the things that make each of us unique.”
Added Ohora, "My hope for Carl and his diverse group of Fuzzytown friends is that they will inspire neurodiverse and neurotypical kids alike to foster a world in which neurodiversity is not only recognized as a benefit to society but is celebrated as exemplifying the full spectrum of what it means to be human.”
The show follows the everyday adventures of Carl, a warm-hearted autistic raccoon who loves collecting things. His talents – a laser-focus pursuit of his goals, attention to detail, and a distinctive way of looking at and experiencing the world around him – have helped him amass a collection for just about every occasion (e.g., the perfect fake mustache or a soft plushie for a friend in need) and come in handy for solving problems around the neighborhood with his friends. Carl has a lot of energy and is logical and precise, yet he often struggles with anxiety in new situations and has difficulty when things don’t go according to plan. Like all his friends, he is learning that there is no right or wrong way to be himself.
Carl’s friends include both neurotypical and neurodiverse characters, each with different traits, behaviors, learning preferences, and challenges. In Fuzzytown, everyone is coming to understand something about themselves and each other. Carl’s best friend, Sheldon, is a beaver who is a flexible thinker with a knack for connecting people and looking out for the underdog. Lotta, a quiet and self-assured fox, artist, and musician, is also autistic. She experiences hypersensitivity to loud sounds, powerful smells, and certain food textures. Nico and Arugula are twin bunny sisters who, despite being identical in appearance, couldn’t be more different in personality. And Forrest, a hyperactive and impulsive squirrel with a tree nut allergy, is always up for an adventure – the more unexpected, the better.
“In today’s world, inclusivity and representation in programming is more important than ever, especially for the youngest of viewers,” said Spiffy Pictures Supervising Producer and Vice President of Production Caroline Bandolik. “We instantly fell in love with this beautiful Fuzzytown world Zachariah created, filled with engaging and relatable characters and funny, heartfelt stories.”
The series is animated Yowza! Animation (Welcome to The Wayne, Green Eggs and Ham). Caroline Bandolik (Nature Cat, Donkey Hodie) is supervising producer and Jesse McMahon (Nature Cat, Cyberchase, Magic School Bus Rides Again) is content producer. Emmy-winning writer and Spiffy Pictures co-founder Adam Rudman is head writer. The team of contributing writers include the Emmy-nominated television and picture book writer Samantha Berger, advocate, and actress Ava X. Rigelhaupt, the Emmy-winning writer, director, and puppeteer Joey Mazzarino, and award-winning children’s book authors Kelly DiPucchio, and Bob Shea.
Source: PBS KIDS
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
